Written Answers Friday 18 June 2010

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates (a) special advice from advisory expert groups and (b) the Severe Weather Grant were made available to farmers during the severe weather over the 2009-10 winter period.

Richard Lochhead: The Severe Weather Grant (SWG) opened to applications on 25 February 2010 and closed on 30 April 2010 for eligible costs committed between 28 December 2009 and 31 March 2010. The SWG information and claim pack, available from 25 February 2010 included a technical advice note drawn up by the advisory expert group.

Agriculture

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been for support measures under the new entrants to farming and young farmers scheme in each year since 2007.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the new entrants to farming and young farmers scheme in each year since 2007.

Richard Lochhead: Support measures for new entrants to farming under 40 years of age is available under the Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme, established in 2008.

  The "Setting up young farmers – interest rate relief" option under Rural Priorities provides specific support for young farmers in providing interest rate relief on loans to develop a farming business. The option has recently been revised to include provision for a one-off establishment grant.

  For certain other options, young farmers may also claim an additional 10% grant. It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of this additional funding using current reporting systems.

  Full details of the options available are on the Rural Priorities website:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Farmingrural/SRDP/RuralPriorities.

  The following table sets out the levels of uptake of the interest rate relief option.

  

Year
Applications
Approved
Approved Value


2008
8
8
£164,580


2009
16
11
£234,576


2010
8
7
£168,873


Total
32
26
£568,029

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many livestock farms are inspected each year by Animal Health as per the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

Richard Lochhead: The number of livestock farms inspected annually varies and, at each visit, more than one inspection type can take place. Follow-up inspections of farms are sometimes required which explains why the following figures show more welfare visits than farms visited.

  in 2006, 372 farms were inspected resulting in 534 welfare visits;

  in 2007, 496 farms were inspected resulting in 684 welfare visits;

  in 2008, 583 farms were inspected resulting in 791 welfare visits, and

  in 2009, 549 farms were inspected resulting in 699 welfare visits.

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 come to the attention of Animal Health each year.

Richard Lochhead: The incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 that come to the attention of Animal Health varies annually:

  in 2006, 739 inspections revealed 227 incidents of overall non-compliance;

  in 2007, 1282 inspections revealed 317 incidents of overall non-compliance;

  in 2008, 1842 inspections revealed 484 incidents of overall non-compliance, and

  in 2009, 1801 inspections revealed 400 incidents of overall non-compliance.

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 were investigated by Animal Health between 2006 and 2009.

Richard Lochhead: Between 2006 and 2009, 1428 incidents of overall non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 were investigated by Animal Health.

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive with what frequency incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 occurred between 2006 and 2009.

Richard Lochhead: Between 2006 and 2009, approximately one in four inspections of livestock farms revealed incidents of overall non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the nature was of incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 between 2006 and 2009.

Richard Lochhead: Between January 2006 and December 2009, incidents of non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 were recorded by assessment type. The following table shows the level of non-compliance for each assessment type as a percentage of the total number of overall non-compliant welfare inspections, 1,428 in all, carried out during this period. It should be noted that each inspection can reveal multiple types of non-compliance so these figures do not total to 100%.

  

Type of Non-Compliance
Non-Compliance


Assessment of Records 
27%


Assessment of Housing 
10%


Assessment of Environment 
35%


Assessment of Equipment 
40%


Assessment of Freedom of Movement 
24%


Assessment of Staffing 
29%


Assessment of Feed and Water 
5%


Assessment of Inspection 
2%


Assessment of Mutilations 
29%


Assessment of Disease Treatment 
2%


Assessment of Breeding Procedures 
12%


Assessment of Space 
0.1%

Animal Welfare

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a record is kept of (a) farmers who lose animals through non-compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000 and (b) the reasons for such non-compliance.

Richard Lochhead: The information requested is not held centrally. Local authorities and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals may hold statistics regarding incidents of this nature.

Birds

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how serious economic damage will be assessed when considering an application to kill protected birds of prey to prevent such damage to non-native game birds released to be shot.

Roseanna Cunningham: The licensable purpose under Section 16 (1)(k) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act is "to prevent serious damage to livestock". The detail of any further guidelines is yet to be finalised.

Birds

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the consequences of any licences that may be issued to kill protected birds of prey are not incompatible with European Directive 2009/147/EC.

Roseanna Cunningham: Any guidance would have to be compatible with the relevant European law.

Birds

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that techniques for the release of non-native pheasants into the wild for shooting that were developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries are capable of meeting modern environmental standards.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence that techniques for release of pheasants in the wild for shooting do not meet current environmental standards.

Culture

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to support children attending Junior Academy at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, who recently had local authority funding withdrawn.

Michael Russell: Some local authorities have made a decision to withdraw support for pupils who attend the RSAMD Junior Academy. Any decision to withdraw such funding is for them to consider. Scottish ministers have no locus to intervene in that decision.

  The Scottish Government continues to support excellence in music for pupils of school age by providing funding, as part of the local government settlement, to four Centres of Excellence across Scotland; Broughton High School in Edinburgh, Dyce Academy in Aberdeen, Douglas Academy in Milngavie and Plockton High School, which specialises in traditional music. The Scottish Government also provides grant to St Mary’s Music School, an independent school in Edinburgh for assistance with fees.

Enterprise

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the evaluation of the Small Business Bonus Scheme in 2010.

John Swinney: The Small Business Bonus Scheme was uplifted and expanded from 1 April 2010 to include an estimated 3,600 additional properties.

  We plan to evaluate the scheme once the impact of those changes have taken effect.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of pelagic fish caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels were landed in Scotland in each of the last five years and how many tonnes were destined for markets in (i) Scotland, (ii) Europe excluding Scotland and (iii) North America in each case.

Richard Lochhead: The available information regarding Pelagic tonnage caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels and landed into Scotland is given in the following table.

  Tonnage of Pelagic fish landed into Scotland

  

Year
Scottish
Other UK
Other EU


2005
216,167
1,295
26,691


2006
140,966
3,022
35,682


2007
156,634
8,581
29,844


2008
130,797
4,616
18,845


2009
121,027
606
19,131



  Comprehensive information on intended markets is not held by the Scottish Government.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of whitefish caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels were landed in Scotland in each of the last five years and how many tonnes were destined for markets in (i) Scotland, (ii) Europe excluding Scotland and (iii) North America in each case.

Richard Lochhead: The available information regarding whitefish tonnage caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels and landed into Scotland is given in the following table.

  Tonnage of Whitefish Landed into Scotland

  

Year
Scottish
Other UK
Other EU


2005
87,085
7,499
17,733


2006
82,047
5,919
18,034


2007
75,859
4,121
18,695


2008
80,626
3,508
19,486


2009
88,339
4,230
19,403



  Comprehensive information on intended markets is not held by the Scottish Government.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of shellfish caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels were landed in Scotland in each of the last five years and how many tonnes were destined for markets in (i) Scotland, (ii) Europe excluding Scotland and (iii) North America in each case.

Richard Lochhead: The available information regarding shellfish tonnage caught by (a) Scottish, (b) other UK and (c) other EU vessels and landed into Scotland is given in the following table.

  

Year
Scottish
Other UK
Other EU


2005
49,285
4,878
526


2006
52,579
4,721
689


2007
59,902
5,876
641


2008
58,329
5,215
757


2009
58,369
4,789
1,016



  Comprehensive information on intended markets is not held by the Scottish Government.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of farmed (a) salmon, (b) whitefish and (c) shellfish were produced in Scotland in each of the last five years and how many tonnes were destined for markets in (i) Scotland, (ii) Europe excluding Scotland and (iii) North America in each case.

Roseanna Cunningham: Production statistics for Scottish finfish and shellfish are published by Marine Scotland Science at the following site:

  http://www.frs-scotland.gov.uk/Delivery/standaloneCM.aspx?contentid=770.

  The Scottish Government does not hold centrally information on the tonnage of each product which went to Scotland, Europe excluding Scotland, or North America. This information can be sought from the relevant producer organisation or from Business and Trade Statistics:

  http://www.worldtradestats.com/.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the amount of (a) pelagic fish, (b) whitefish and (c) shellfish landed by (i) Scottish, (ii) other UK and (iii) other EU vessels to increase in each of the next three years and, if so, by what amount and based on what evidence.

Richard Lochhead: Limits on the amount of commercial fish stocks landed by European vessels are based on scientific advice on stock condition provided in the preceding year. Stock condition reflects both management actions and natural fluctuations. The quota allocation to UK vessels is determined through the principle of Relative Stability, and the Scottish share is generally based on the Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) units associated with the licences of vessels as at 1 January of the relevant year.

  We have yet to receive the scientific advice for most fish stocks which will provide the basis for limits for 2011. This will be published at the end of June for whitefish and herring and at the beginning of October for other pelagic species. We cannot currently predict what stock conditions, and therefore amounts landed, will be in 2012 and 2013. However, we are now trialling a scheme to reduce discards and increase the amount of cod landed by converting a percentage of discarded fish into quota. If successful, we hope to expand this scheme to other species in the coming years.

  Marine Scotland produces a statistical analysis of catches and landings and provides information on landings trends via its website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/09/11100225/0.

  These trends indicate high variability for pelagic landings, a decline in demersal landings and a steady increase in shellfish landings.

Fisheries

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the Eat More Fish campaign to have been successful to date and, if so, on the basis of what criteria.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken research to establish what effect the Eat More Fish campaign has had on Scottish (a) nutritional and (b) market habits and, if so, what the results were.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish fishing sector has benefited from the Eat More Fish campaign and, if so, based on what evidence.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is evidence of an increased public knowledge of the fishing supply chain as a result of the Eat More Fish campaign.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of its Eat More Fish campaign.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it next expects to meet stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of its Eat More Fish campaign.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to promote the Eat More Fish campaign in each of the last 12 months.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to promote the Eat More Fish campaign in each of the next six months.

Richard Lochhead: The Eat More Fish Campaign was launched in May 2009 to increase awareness of the health and environmental benefits of eating at least the recommended two portions of fish a week.

  Seafood Scotland, the cross industry body representing stakeholders from across the fishing and fish processing industry has been responsible for running the campaign on the industry’s behalf and has achieved the following:

  Raised consumer awareness of the health and environmental benefits of eating fish through work with schools, retailers, the food service sector and fishmongers.

  Run a Scotland wide competition to find the country’s best young seafood chef, over 42 chefs entered.

  Launched an award winning web portal giving consumers a single source of advice on buying and eating Scottish fish, including recipe ideas.

  Held seafood promotions at public events, including the Taste Festival in Edinburgh.

  According to Seafish, the campaign helped to generate a significant increase in retail sales of seafood in Scotland - by £8.6 million in value and 6 per cent in volume between May and October 2009.

  The Eat More Fish Campaign was extended earlier this year and will continue until March 2011. A full evaluation of the campaign will be carried out then.

Further and Higher Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to bring forward the results of its review of childcare support for students.

Michael Russell: A number of options are currently being considered following extensive consultation with key stakeholders. It is expected that the results of the review will be published later this summer.

Further and Higher Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what options it is considering in its review of childcare support for students.

Michael Russell: A number of options are currently being considered as part of the review of childcare funding arrangements in further and higher education. These options are being considered in conjunction with key stakeholders .

Further and Higher Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to consult the Parliament on options for reform to the childcare support system for students.

Michael Russell: Scottish Government officials, in conjunction with stakeholders, are currently considering a number of options as part of the review of funding arrangements for childcare in further and higher education. We will continue to consult with relevant stakeholders as necessary at every stage of the review.

Further and Higher Education

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown by local authority area of the planned 18,500 new start apprentices in 2009-10.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to write to you with the information you have requested.

Further Education

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) advice it has given and (b) time period it has recommended to Scotland’s Colleges regarding the review of bursaries for 2010-11

Keith Brown: It is the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council to issue guidance on, and any changes to, its bursary policy before the start of each academic year.

  The council published the bursary policy for 2010-11 on 11 June 2010.

  Ministers have offered to discuss with NUS the overall issue of support to college students.

Housing

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward detailed plans for a tenancy deposit scheme.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when a tenancy deposit scheme is to be introduced.

Alex Neil: We are working with a group of key stakeholders to finalise the regulations for tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland. The regulations will set out the conditions that a scheme must meet before it can be approved by Scottish ministers. Our objective is to introduce these regulations as soon as possible.

Housing

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to consult the Parliament on plans for a tenancy deposit scheme.

Alex Neil: Regulations governing approval of tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland will be introduced by means of a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI). The regulations will be subject to affirmative procedure and Parliament will require to give its approval before it can come into effect.

Planning

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it used in determining that there was a national need for new baseload generating capacity at existing power station sites when identifying national developments for inclusion in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it used in determining that there was a national need for new baseload generating capacity at Hunterston in addition to that which would be provided at other power station sites when identifying national developments for inclusion in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.

Stewart Stevenson: The second National Planning Framework (NPF2) designated a number of projects as national developments. A range of criteria were considered in the selection of these projects, including their contribution to sustainable economic development and the achievement of climate change targets. In the case of new generating capacity at Hunterston and other power station sites, these factors were considered together with the issue of the security of energy supply.

  The National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 Assessment Matrix of Candidate National Developments Against the National Development Criteria published in January 2009 set out an assessment of candidate national developments against specified criteria and provided some additional commentary. The current electricity supply base, the planned retirements of baseload generating capacity over the next decade and the forecast increase in electricity demand over this period were taken into account.

  The construction of a new efficient coal plant fitted with carbon capture and storage demonstration facilities is considered a crucial step in decarbonising electricity supply, alongside increased output from renewable technologies. The Scottish Government is currently reviewing, in more detail, the exact need for new capacity in the light of the significant developments in renewable deployment.

Public Sector

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the food used across the public sector is locally grown.

Richard Lochhead: Use of Scottish sourced food within the public sector varies depending on the food type and sector. The Scottish Government leads by example in its catering contract and has significantly increased the quantity of Scottish sourced produce to 100% in many cases. Through Scotland’s National Food and Drink policy we have also committed to raising awareness of the origin of food supplied through public sector contracts.

Public Sector

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the food used across the public sector is imported from other EU countries.

Richard Lochhead: This type of information is not readily available across the public sector. The Scottish Government however does lead by example by recording the quantity of Scottish sourced produce used in its catering contract, which, in many cases is 100% Scottish sourced.

Public Sector

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the food used across the public sector is imported from outwith the European Union.

Richard Lochhead: This type of information is not readily available across the public sector. The Scottish Government however does lead by example by recording the quantity of Scottish sourced produce used in its catering contract, which, in many cases is 100% Scottish sourced.

Public Sector

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of public sector waste is recycled.

Richard Lochhead: Information on the percentage of public sector waste recycled is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Government has a target to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by recycling 80% of the total waste it produces as an organisation, by 2011. There are also targets to reduce total waste by 10% by March 2011 (this has already been met), and by 25% by 2020, relative to 2006-07 levels.

  In the Scottish Government’s Environmental Performance Annual Report for 2008-09, it was reported that 73% of all waste was recycled over that period. In addition, waste arisings also dropped by 2%.

Public Sector

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to encourage commercial enterprises to minimise public sector waste.

Richard Lochhead: It is not the role of the commercial sector to minimise waste arising in the public sector.

  The Zero Waste Plan for Scotland sets out a Number of actions that will be implemented to address all waste arisings, irrespective of the sector in which it arises. These actions include development of a Waste Prevention Programme, in line with the EU Waste framework Directive, in order to place prevention at the heart of Zero Waste policy.

Rail Network

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what ministerial guidance was given to Transport Scotland before it advised First ScotRail to proceed with plans for train services on the Airdrie-Bathgate rail line to be driver-only operated.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government’s priority is firstly safety and then efficiency. Ministers’ guidance was that the Airdrie to Bathgate services should be implemented on the basis of these priorities. Advice provided to ministers from ORR, RAIB and RSSB has consistently stated that the selected mode of operation, driver and ticket examiner, is safe.

Rail Network

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rail passenger seats have been available on an average weekday on southbound services crossing the Forth Rail Bridge between 6.30 am and 9.00 am in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson: The current average number of seats provided by ScotRail southbound over the Forth rail bridge between 0630-0900 is 4,450 which is an increase of 46% from 3,050 in 2005.

  During the evening peak southbound from 1600 until 1900 the number of seats available is 3,586 which is an increase 66% from 2,151 in 2005.

  These are approximate figures and exclude seats provided by other operators e.g. East Coast and Arriva Crosscountry who also operate services during this time period.

Rail Network

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rail passenger seats have been available on an average weekday on northbound services crossing the Forth Rail Bridge between 4.30 am and 7.00 am in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson: The current average number of seats provided by ScotRail northbound over the Forth rail bridge between 0430-0700 is 1,263 which is an increase of 134% from 540 in 2005.

  During the evening peak northbound from 1600 until 1900 the number of seats available is 5,308 which is an increase of 61% from 3,295 in 2005.

  These are approximate figures and excludes seats provided by another operator Arriva Crosscountry which also operates services during this period.

Roads

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value is of the contract awarded to Highway Management (Scotland) Ltd in respect of the completion and operation of the M80.

Stewart Stevenson: The tendered cost for the project is £322 million. This includes the construction cost and the maintenance costs over the 30 year concession period, expressed as a net present value.

Rural Affairs

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value to date is of (a) all contracts issued under the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities scheme; (b) payments made in (i) Shetland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Argyll, (iv) Ayrshire, (v) Borders, (vi) Clyde Valley, (vii) Dumfries and Galloway, (viii) Forth, (ix) Grampian, (x) Highland, (xi) Outer Hebrides and (xii) Tayside.

Richard Lochhead: The value of all approved Rural Priorities cases to date is £327 million.

  The value of payments made under Rural Priorities is £37 million, to 10 June 2010.

  IT reports which will provide a detailed breakdown of payments made per region are under development. As a result, this information is currently unavailable.

Rural Affairs

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the total number of contracts under the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities scheme issued to date, and how many have been paid in (a) part and (b) full in (i) Shetland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Argyll, (iv) Ayrshire, (v) Borders, (vi) Clyde Valley, (vii) Dumfries and Galloway, (viii) Forth, (ix) Grampian, (x) Highland, (xi) Outer Hebrides and (xii) Tayside.

Richard Lochhead: The total number of Rural Priorities cases approved to date is 4,422.

  The number of claims paid, to 10 June 2010, is 2,391.

  IT reports which will provide a detailed breakdown of payments made per region are under development. As a result, this information is currently unavailable.

School Transport

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the number of schoolchildren who travel to school by school bus in order to reduce the number travelling by car.

Keith Brown: Free school transport is already provided for school children living some distance from school. For those living nearer, the work of School Travel Co-ordinators is already significantly focused on this issue of reducing car journeys, but by increasing walking and cycling to school – rather than by replacing car with bus – on environmental, physical health, road safety and congestion grounds.

School Transport

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on primary school bus transport in each local authority area in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Keith Brown: The information requested is not available. I am, however, able to provide information with regard to the total spend on school transport in each authority for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09, the latest year for which we have information. The information is set out in the following table.

  

Local Authority
£000
£000


2007-08
2008-09


Aberdeen City
576
649


Aberdeenshire
4,261
4,834


Angus
1,084
1,229


Argyll and Bute
2,024
2,113


Clackmannanshire
52
44


Dumfries and Galloway
308
332


Dundee City
115
99


East Ayrshire
772
964


East Dunbartonshire
795
907


East Lothian
275
310


East Renfrewshire
926
603


Edinburgh, City of
829
526


Eilean Siar
965
997


Falkirk
528
522


Fife
2,079
2,226


Glasgow City
869
786


Highland
3,620
3,756


Inverclyde
288
252


Midlothian
312
346


Moray
1,328
1,391


North Ayrshire
1,321
1,208


North Lanarkshire
3,559
3,926


Orkney Islands
776
823


Perth and Kinross
1,604
1,599


Renfrewshire
1,044
1,155


Scottish Borders
1,509
1,716


Shetland Islands
469
505


South Ayrshire
1,314
1,175


South Lanarkshire
2,675
2,546


Stirling
443
448


West Dunbartonshire
301
367


West Lothian
592
710


Scotland Total
37,613
39,064

School Transport

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary school children travelled to school by school bus in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Keith Brown: This information is not collected centrally. However, I understand that the Hands Up Survey, which can be found electronically on the organisation Sustrans web site at www.sustrans.org.uk , may be able to provide some or all of the information requested.

Schools

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage primary school-age children to walk or cycle to school.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is supporting a range of initiatives to encourage primary school children to walk and cycle to school. This includes support for local authorities to encourage active travel through the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets grant of £9.09 million in each year of this spending review. Support is allocated to Sustrans to tackle the school run and to Cycling Scotland to promote the benefits of travelling actively to school.

  The above investment includes the creation of new shared walking and cycling facilities, new secure cycle parking, various incentives to cycle or walk to school, including, for example, cycle training skill kits. Almost all schools now have 20 mph zones and around 80% are implementing or developing a travel plan. In all, over 2000 schools in Scotland will continue to benefit from the Scottish Government’s commitment to encouraging children to walk or cycle to school through partnership working with key stakeholders.

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34279 on 18 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Schools

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on encouraging primary school children to walk or cycle to school in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Stewart Stevenson: The following table sets out Scottish Government investment that includes support for encouraging primary school children to cycle and walk to school in financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10:

  

Grant/Recipient
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10


Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets/ LAs
£9.09m
£9.09m
£9.09m


School Travel Coordinators/LAs
£1.05m
Incl
Incl


Tackling the School Run/Sustrans 
£3.62m
£2.515m
£2.285m


Cycling Scotland
£0.90m
£1.40m
£0.90m


Smarter Choices, Smarter Places/LAs
 -
£2.11m
£4.48m


Total
£14.66m
£15.115
£16.755



  The Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets grant to local authorities can be used to extend and improve safe routes to schools. From 2008-09, the grant to local authorities for School Travel Coordinators was included in the block grant settlement for years 2008-11. Cycling Scotland grants include promotional campaigns to encourage more active travel to school and the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme funding includes measure to encourage all forms of active travel including to schools.

Schools

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in developing the education resources for schools to take forward the new 10-year road safety framework for Scotland.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government provides funding to Road Safety Scotland (RSS) for the development of road safety education resources for schools. RSS are currently finalising the development of a new early years resource details of which will be provided to all schools in Scotland for the start of the new school term in August 2010. Current RSS education resources can be viewed at Annex C of Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020, which was published in June 2009, and on the RSS website.

Schools

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to encourage more children to walk to school since 2007.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-34276 and S3W-34279 on 18 June 2010. All answers to written Parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/default.aspx

Tourism

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it is aware of regarding the contribution made to the Scottish economy by (a) tourism based on the natural heritage generally, (b) wildlife tourism and (c) the viewing of birds of prey.

Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage is finalising a report which will estimate the economic contribution of tourism based on natural heritage. This report is due to be published by end June 2010 and will be available on the Scottish Natural Heritage website.

  The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland, published by the Scottish Government on 16 June 2010, estimates that the net economic impact of wildlife tourism is £65 million, with 2,763 fulltime equivalent jobs in existence because of the activities of wildlife tourism in Scotland. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent.

  The Scottish Government is not aware of any single report estimating the contribution of viewing birds of prey to the Scottish economy but it is likely to be significant. For example the RSPB report Watched Like Never Before http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/watchedlikeneverbefore_tcm9-133081.pdf estimates that the presence of sea eagles on Mull has generated £1.4 to 1.6 million per year for the local economy.

Voluntary Sector

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to monitor the transfer of assets from local authorities to local communities under the auspices of the Development Trusts Association Scotland.

Alex Neil: The Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) are currently delivering a wide ranging programme on behalf of Scottish Government to support local authorities and communities to understand the costs and benefits of asset transfer. This will be achieved through:

  raising awareness amongst and providing training, toolkits and develop networks for, councillors, local authority officers and communities;

  identifying and disseminating lessons from effective practice;

  providing targeted support through demonstration projects in selected local authority areas to develop a joint strategy and action plan on assets transfer, and

  provide targeted development support for selected community groups to enable them to take on transferred assets.

  The purpose of the demonstration projects is to highlight what has worked well and to disseminate lessons learned from each of the projects in order to help local authorities and community groups produce local asset transfer strategies. The process and progress of each project will therefore be recorded, evaluated and reported to Scottish Government officials by DTAS.

  The demonstration projects are as follows:

  Highland Council – Muir of Ord, in the Black Isle.

  Argyll and Bute Council – Campbeltown.

  Stirling Council – Dunblane.

  Perth and Kinross Council – Aberfeldy.

  Glasgow City Council – Govanhill.

  City of Edinburgh Council – Portobello.

  North Lanarkshire Council - Bellshill and Coatbridge.

  Dumfries and Galloway Council – Moffat Town Hall.

  In each case, both the council and the community group have agreed to enter into the process of negotiating the transfer of an asset.

  From 1 June 2010 amendments to local authority land disposal Regulations mean local authorities no longer require the consent of Scottish ministers and can decide for themselves whether or not to dispose of their land at less than best consideration. Non statutory guidance has been issued to assist local authorities apply the new Regulations.

Voluntary Sector

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it plans to give to the Development Trusts Association Scotland in Central Scotland.

Alex Neil: The Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) is an independent charity and a national intermediary organisation which supports the establishment and growth of development trusts. The funding they receive from Scottish Government is therefore not targeted to any specific geographic area.

  The Scottish Government awarded funding of £240,000, from 2008-11, to support core costs to up skill and build the capacity of those working with development trusts and other organisations involved in community enterprise.

  A further £60,000 was awarded, in 2009-11, through the Third Sector Enterprise Fund to set up their consultancy service, The Pool.

  In taking forward the action point from the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Community Empowerment Action Plan, the Scottish Government also awarded grant to DTAS, of £250,000 from 2009-11. This was to carry out the asset transfer aspect of support for communities to own assets.

Voluntary Sector

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget of the Development Trusts Association Scotland was in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10

Alex Neil: The Development Trust Association Scotland is an independent charity. Details of their funding sources can be found on their website at http://www.dtascot.org.uk/content/about-dta-scotland .

Voluntary Sector

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects the Development Trusts Association Scotland is undertaking, broken down by location.

Alex Neil: The Development Trust Association Scotland are an independent charity and a national organisation. The details of their activities, can be found on their website. http://www.dtascot.org.uk/ .

Voluntary Sector

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the Development Trusts Association Scotland.

Alex Neil: The membership currently stands at 145 members. Details can be accessed at http://www.dtascot.org.uk .

Waste Management

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to encourage commercial enterprises to recycle.

Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government is taking forward a number of actions under the Zero Waste Plan that will encourage the commercial sector to recycle more. Key actions include the development of a Waste Prevention Programme, introduction of a 70% recycling target for all of Scotland’s waste and new legislative measures that will place restrictions on the wastes that can be landfilled or go for incineration.

  Additionally, Zero Waste Scotland will be working to identify key waste streams and sectors, including the commercial sector, with a view to establishing sector-specific programmes of work to help deliver the Zero Waste Plan.

Working Groups

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many working groups have been established by it since 2006 and what the (a) title, (b) role and remit and (c) numbers are of members on each group.

John Swinney: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.